The organization Paws of War has been awarded the Award for Service to Veterans at FOX Nation’s sixth annual Patriot Awards ceremony, held last evening. The non-profit, headquartered in Nesconset, New York, helps active and retired service members, first responders, and Gold Star families across the United States through various programs.
Among its most notable initiatives is the “War-Torn Pups and Cats” program, which has reunited with more than 600 dogs and cats they bonded with on deployment and had to leave behind.
These animals provided light and hope during dark, dangerous, and lonely times in the Middle East and beyond. Each animal is rescued, flown to the U.S., and trained at no cost to the service member. The organization also rescues animals from horrific conditions across America, trains them, and places them with veterans as support animals.
A Decade of Impact
Robert Misseri, co-founder of Paws of War and a committed advocate for animals and military personnel for over 20 years, accepted the award during the ceremony. In his speech, he said:
“Thank you. Unfortunately, I have to have a little cheat sheet here. But this award is very special to us, obviously. And it’s something that we want to share with not just Paws of War, but our veterans that are here, our service, our military members like Cameron, our donors, our volunteers, our passionate volunteers and staff that make all this work. So, this is more about them than us.
“I think that what people don’t realise is when a military member is serving overseas. They are not sure—they’re trained for a lot. They’re not trained to find this little puppy or a kitten that they fall in love with. And then, they have to come back, and there’s very little options for them to bring that animal back.
“And that’s what we do. We have—10 years, we have been rescuing animals from shelters in Baltimore to bases in Baghdad. And we fortunately have placed many, many dogs with veterans as service dogs. The dogs that were on the stage earlier, all service dogs that are life-changing for many veterans here tonight, and it is so important for us to acknowledge the need.
“And every one of you play a tremendous role in that. And that’s most important. I want to thank President Donald Trump for supporting our veterans and our military by being here tonight and showing that kind of support, and every one of you who are true patriots. For Paws of War, our motto is helping both ends of the leash. And we’re going to continue to do that. Thank you. God bless America.”
A Heartwarming Reunion
One of the evening’s most touching moments was the on-stage reunion of Specialist Cameron Clay, a U.S. Army National Guard member, with Feyre, a dog he cared for during his deployment in Kosovo. It was the first time they had seen each other in two months.
Introducing the reunion, Robert Misseri explained:
“When Cameron reached out to us months ago, and he told us about a dog that he rescued while overseas that appeared at his gate, he was watching the gate, and his little puppy, malnourished, hungry, starving, cold, he started caring for this dog. Feyre is what he named her. And he reached out to us, and again, he cannot play any role in getting that dog here. And tonight, Cameron, she’s with us. She’s here. She’s a little—OK. She has some stage fright. She is—has some stage fright.”
Visibly moved, Clay shared his gratitude:
“Hi, baby… I don’t even know how to feel. I’m so thankful to everyone involved, Paws of War, and, you know, everyone on base who helped me through this whole process. It’s just amazing. I don’t even know what to think right now. It’s just so great. Thank you, everyone, everyone involved.”
Patriot Awards: Honoring America’s Heroes
The Patriot Awards, emceed by FOX News Channel’s top-rated primetime host Sean Hannity, celebrates America’s finest patriots, including military veterans, first responders, and other inspirational heroes.
Through their remarkable work, Paws of War has proven to be an invaluable lifeline for both veterans and the animals they cherish. Their motto, “helping both ends of the leash,” embodies the organization’s dedication to creating lasting bonds and transforming lives.
FOX Nation’s Patriot Awards aired on FOX News Channel on Sunday from 10 PM-12 AM/ET.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the star-studded night, which highlighted everyday unsung heroes nabbed a whopping 1 million viewers, beating CNN Heroes by 263% with viewers (FNC: 1 million vs. CNN: 276,000 viewers) and by 130% with the 25-54 demo (FNC: 106,000 A25-54 vs. CNN: 46,000 A25-54).
Notably, the Sunday airing beat every CNN telecast last week with viewers and bested every MSNBC telecast last week.
